Drake Maye on WEEI 10/26: “There is no shortcut to winning”

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

Hey Drake, thanks for coming on, man. We really appreciate it.

Drake Maye (0:02)

Yeah, what's going on?

SPEAKER_1 (0:03)

Hey, what's up? So a tough loss, obviously.

It's pretty wild how many injuries you and the team have had to deal with around you all season. No group more affected than that offensive line. How tough is it for a quarterback to have new people in front of you on the line almost every week?

Drake Maye (0:22)

Well, I think, first off, a credit to those guys for stepping up and really playing their butts off. I think each time that we get out there and get in the huddle, I just sometimes you see new faces and you see new faces a lot, but that's just league and that's playing football. That's what this game brings to you. So I think you got to battle sometimes some injuries and sometimes early in the season, sometimes it's late, but credit to those guys for stepping up and really keeping me clean for portion of the game. I think that we had to do better job of time to establish the run, but I'm really proud of those guys and part of the game.

SPEAKER_3 (0:54)

It sounds like you might get a few back today, Drake. Mike Rabel was saying Ben Brown returned to practice. Are you hopeful that you might get a few bodies back?

Drake Maye (1:02)

Well, you know, that's how the season works. These guys get banged up and they try to work their way back and try to get by as soon as they can.

SPEAKER_1 (1:08)

So Drake, AJ. Brown, obviously an incredibly talented receiver. He's still finding his footing since coming back. What can you guys do in these upcoming games to help expedite his return to form and take advantage of his abilities and get him more opportunities to make an impact?

Drake Maye (1:24)

Yeah, I think, you know, I think just keep playing with him in the offense. And I think give him some more chances. Obviously, he's a great player. He's got an unbelievable attitude and he's attacking each and every week. And I think it's the only amount of time before he's out there. And take advantage of his chances and makes a lot of plays.

SPEAKER_3 (1:39)

I know you guys had like kind of an extra day here. It's self-scout day today, Drake. Where do you think you guys are as a group after seven games?

Drake Maye (1:46)

I think we're going to get back to it. We're going to get back and we're at a time where these games are battling, we're 4-3 and battling to try to earn a spot and try to win a division game. And it's a huge division game we got coming up this week. Now, a team that's hungry and playing well. So we have a tough challenge and looking forward to getting back in these games right here in the middle of the season. Kind of these weeks are really important.

SPEAKER_1 (2:08)

So Drake, if Josh McDaniels gave you the opportunity to script the first 10 offensive plays against Miami, what would you want to accomplish with those plays?

Drake Maye (2:18)

Well, I think you want to accomplish, try to score some points. That's a big thing. I think try to establish a run, try to build some stuff off of it, and then I think we got a solid passing game. We'll try to get it going and try to establish the run, get some kind of easy breathers. But I mean, I don't know about that. I try to execute the plays that are called.

SPEAKER_1 (2:38)

Yeah, you were saying after the game on Thursday night that you need to be the conductor line of scrimmage. What did you mean by that? Are you talking about like changing protections, changing plays or maybe taking more control from Josh? What did you mean there?

Drake Maye (2:52)

No, I wouldn't say taking control. I think he gives me the freedom to do some things within the offense and try to earn it more and more each week. But yeah, really just protections, kind of getting guys on the same page of knowing where we're at. Handling the road environment is kind of the biggest thing with just having two new starters in there. I was handling the road environment with the cadence and mic points and making sure we're on the right page. So nothing really spectacular, just kind of being, like I said, a conductor and being on my stuff.

SPEAKER_3 (3:18)

You, I believe Drake, were 11 of 12 facing pressure in that game. How proud are you of how you guys have been able to handle some of the blitzes from other teams?